Washing and sterilizing machine for glassware



March 18, 1958 J HElNlCKE 2,827,064

WASHING AND STERILIZING MACHINE FOR GLASSWARE Filed Aug. 17, 1954 2Sheets-Sheei l RE mK E m N mm H TI R U K ATTORNEY March 18, 1958 K,HENCKE 2,827,064

WASHING AND STERILIZING MACHINE FOR GLASSWARE Filed Aug. 17, 1954 2Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVENTOR. KURT J; HElNICKE,

BY I

A TTORNEY ilnit WASHDJG AND STERHIIZHQG MACHINE FDR GLASSWARE Kurt S.Heiniclre, Hollywood, Fia.

Application August 17, 1954, Serial No. 450,419

3 Claims. ((31. 134172) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in surface treating apparatus and the primary object of thepresent invention is to provide a device for washing, cleaning andsterilizing laboratory glassware such as pipettes, syringes, syringeneedles, vials, test tubes, flasks, bottles, petri dishes and the like.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide asurface treating device having a fluid spray means which is reciprocatedand rocked in order to effectively increase the surface coverage of anarticle which will be treated with a cleaning and/ or sterilizingmedium.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a surfacetreating apparatus including upper and lower spray tubes which aredisposed respectively above and below an article holder and which upperspray tube is provided with downwardly facing orifices of a size largerthan upwardly facing orifices in the lower spray tube to permit a downstream of fluid to exceed an upstream of fluid, and, to thereby preventarticles in the holder from being lifted or shifted by an upstreampassing from the lower spray tube.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a surfacetreating apparatus including a stationary tray or holder and areciprocating spraying device of compact nature which is moved relativeto the holder in order to reduce to a minimum the size cabinet requiredfor the entire device.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a surfacetreating device of the aforementioned charactor that is simple andpractical in construction, strong and reliable in use, efficient anddurable in operation, inexpensive to manufacture, service and maintain,and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same isintended.

These and other objects will be clearly apparent during the course ofthe following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein has been illustrated the preferred forms of the deviceand wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote likeparts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary perspective view showing the movement of thespraying device relative to the article holder;

Figure 2 is a front elevational View of the present invention andillustrating in dotted lines various positions of the spraying devicerelative to the article holder;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of thespraying device and illustrating the relative size of the upper andlower orifices;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view takensubstantially on the plane of section line 4-4 of Figure 2; a

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the sprayingdevice holding and supporting bracket and showing the manner in whichthe fluid ejecting tubes are connected to their inlet conduits;

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail view of Figure 4 and 2,8219% PatentedMar. 18, 1958 illustrating the manner in which the rocking means isoperatively engaged with the spraying device.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose ofillustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the numeral 10 represents a suitable cabinet or housing whichis provided with suitable support means 12 for a foraminous articleholder or container 14, the latter being preferably removable from thesupport means whereby various type articles may be quickly and readilyplaced into or removed from the article holder in a convenient manner.

Means are provided for directing a surface treating fluid towardarticles retained in the holder 14 and this eans includes a plurality ofjuxtapositioned, substantially U-shaped tubes 16, 18 and .29 comprisinga spraying device generally designated by the numeral 22. The tubes 16,18 and 26 are suitably connected together and each is provided with anupper and lower horizontal portion adapted to be disposed respectivelyabove and below the supported article holder 14.

The upper horizontal portions of the tubes 16, 18 and 2d are providedwith downwardly facing orifices or apertures 24 which are of a diametergreater than the upwardly facing orifices or apertures 26 provided inthe lower horizontal portions of the tubes 16, 1S and 29 so that a fluiddirected through the lower apertures 26 will not have the tendency tolift or shift articles in the holder 15 against action of a down flowingfluid directed through the upper apertures 24.

The central portions of the U-shaped tubes i6, 18 and 2d are suitablyremovably or fixedly engaged with a combined guiding and supportingbracket 23 having a substantially horizontally disposed rectangular bodyportion 349 and a substantially channel shaped guiding portion 32.Guiding portion 32 is preferably downwardly opened to engage over ahorizontal guide rail or track 34 suitably supported in the cabinet it).

A casing 36 is suitably retained relative to the cabinet 14? andcontains a powered unit, such as an electric motor 38 whose drive shaftis operatively connected to an endless chain oscillator 38', while thechain oscillator has a linked connection with a flexible member 40trained over pulleys 42 carried by casing 36 and having upper and lowerhorizontal flights which parallel the rail 34 and engage a pulley 44carried by the cabinet 16. The lower flight of member 4i) is suitablyattached to a connector 46 fixed to bracket 2%.

The power means 33 is thus operatively conected to the bracket 28through the medium of the flexible member 40 so that the spraying device22 will be reciprocated relative to the article holder 14, whereby afluid directed through the orifices 24 and 26 will impinge againstarticles retained in the article holder 14.

Means is provided for rocking or oscillating the spraying device 22 asthe same is reciprocated relative to the article holder. This meanscomprises a horizontally disposed rotatable eccentric shaft 48 havingcylindrical end portions supported in bearings 56 suitably secured tothe side walls of the cabinet 10. One end portion of the cam shaft 4-8is connected to the power means 38 as by drive 52.

Wear and contact plates or disks 54, preferably of nylon, are attachedto the spray tubes 16, 18 and 20 with at least one of the disks 54engaging the cam shaft 43 to be contacted by the cam shaft duringrotating of the latter by the power means 33.

Tubes 16, 18 and 20 are centrally provided with T-fittings 56, 58 and 60whose stern portions are coupled to the outlet ends of flexible conduits62, 64 and 66. The inlet ends of the conduits 62, 64 and 66 extend toand are suitably connected to a pump device within casing 36 capable ofactuation by independent power means so spraying tubes may be increasedand reduced without affecting the operation of the described apparatus.v

In order to reduce wear on the rail'34 and the bracket 28, the innersurfaces or walls of the portion 32 are provided with preferably nylonwear plates or buttons 68 that contact the periphery of rail 34- asillustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings. 7 7

Although it is possible to so locate the eccentric shaft with respect tothe spray tubes that the horizontal portions of the tubes will tend toremain in a horizontal position, weighttmeans 7G is applied to the upperhorizontal portions of the spray tubes to aid in the vertical rock ingof the tubes in conjunction with the rotating eccentric shaft, 1

In practical use of the present invention as thus described in Figure 1through 6, inclusive, the power means 33 is actuated to move the endlessmember 49 and cause rotation of eccentric shaft 34; Spray device 22 isthereby caused to move horizontally relative to holder 1' with fluidsdirected through orifices-24 and25 onto articles retained in the holder14.

Inasmuch as cam shaft 34 rides againstwear plates 54, the sprayingdevice is vertically rocked during its horizontaltmovement to therebyeifect a largerspraying surface directed through the orifices for thepurpose of permitting .the spraying fluid to pass into even small tubes,such as pipettes within the article holder.

'The'power means 38 is preferably of the reversible type so that theflexible member 40 will be'driven sequentially clockwise andanti-clockwise to reciprocate the spraying device.

The conduits are conventionally operatively connected to timed valveswhereby the fluid ejected from the tubes will be periodic to. permitfirst a detergent, then a rinse and finally a steam or sterilizing sprayto be directed onto the articles in the holder, after which the powerscribed are illustrative of a novel method of most effectivelysubjecting articles to a thorough washing, rinsing and sterilizing whichheretofore has been most ineffec- '5 two, especially slender articles,such as p1pettes, etc. 0

The novel means whereby the tubes 22 are reciprocated,

results in a very obvious saving of room, since the cabinet need be verylittle larger than the article holder 14.

Although the principles here disclosed are preferred,

changes in structural details are contemplated as readily fall withinthe spirit of the invention and as determined 7 by the scope of thesubjoined claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secureby letters-patent is: v

1. A surface'treating apparatus comprising an article holder, supportingmeans for said holder, a substantially U-shaped spraying deviceincluding an upper horizontal portion overlying'said holderand havingdownwardly facing orifices, said spraying device also including a lowerhorizontal portionunderlying said holder and haywardly facing orifices,and means operatively connected to said spraying device forreciprocating the latter rela tive to said holder, said downwardlyfacing orifices being of a size larger than said upwardly facingorifices to permit an increased flow of a cleaning medium from saidupper portion than from said lower portion to prevent an article in saidholder from being lifted against a cleaning medium directed from saidupper portion.

3. A surface treating apparatus comprising an article holder, asupporting means for said holder, a substantially U-shapedsprayingdevice including an upper horizontal portion overlying said holderand'having downwardly facing orifices, said spraying device alsoincluding a'lower horizontal portion underlying said holder and havingupwardly facing orifices, means operatively connected'to said sprayingdevice for reciprocating the latter relative to said holder, meansengaging said spraying device for transversely rocking said sprayingdevice during reciprocatory motion of said device, the said downwardlyfacing orifices being of a size larger than said upwardly facingorifices.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS GofiMar. 24, 1908 883,132 1,142,083 Dodge June 8, 1915 2,322,417 ChristianJune 22, 1943 2,682,881 Bocchino July 6, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTSSwitzerland Nov. 1, 1938

